consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

consumed; consuming

transitive verb

1

: to do away with completely : destroy

Fire consumed several buildings.

2

a

: to spend wastefully : squander

consumed his inheritance on luxuries

b

: use up

Writing consumed much of his time.

3

a

: to eat or drink especially in great quantity

consumed several bags of pretzels

b

: to enjoy avidly : devour

… mysteries, which she consumes for fun …

—Eden Ross Lipson

4

: to engage fully : engross

consumed with curiosity

5

: to utilize as a customer

consume goods and services

intransitive verb

1

: to waste or burn away : perish

2

: to utilize economic goods

Synonyms

• devour
• eat (up)

Examples of consume in a Sentence

The new lights consume less electricity.

She's making an effort to live more simply and consume less.

Hundreds of books were consumed in the fire.

Recent Examples on the Web

The consistent overproduction of milk is the reason federal dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume three cups of dairy per day, as well as why half-pint milk cartons are a mainstay of the nation’s school cafeterias. —HubSpot, 2 May 2025

Additionally, the study of chemical isotopes — variants of carbon and nitrogen that reflect plant or animal proteins consumed — from a bone sample taken from the mummy’s spine revealed a high-quality diet based on grain and a large proportion of meat. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 2 May 2025

This type of behavior - consuming content for two screens at the same time - makes this offering quite complementary. —Clara Ludmir, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Along with the rebuild, there is real concern about the toxicity in the air from all that the fires consumed — car batteries, melted plastic, gasoline, asbestos from the older homes. —Dana O'Neil, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French consumer, from Latin consumere, from com- + sumere to take up, take, from sub- up + emere to take — more at sub-, redeem

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for consume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• costume
• courtroom

Kids Definition

consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

consumed; consuming

1

: to destroy by or as if by fire

2

: use up, spend

the search consumed most of our time

3

: to eat or drink up

consumed too much ice cream

4

: to take up the interest or attention of

was consumed with curiosity

5

: to use as a customer

consume goods

consumable

-ˈsü-mə-bəl

adjective